History

Kobold origin lies in the legend of sowing dragon’s teeth. Cadmus and Jason, both heroes of the Heroic Age, planted dragon’s teeth in the earth to create powerful warriors. The myth of creating warriors holds true in Cimmeria, but the teeth no longer grow into strong Spartoi, but rather small anthropomorphic dog/lizard hybrids, kobolds. Some kobolds cling to this powerful past, but most have moved past it and accept their current weak status. The only way for kobolds to fight back against the cruel world is through communal action and/or slavish devotion to a dragon.

The rise of the Dragon Hegemony brought kobolds a new place in Cimmerian society. Kobolds carried out the first act of draconic dominance when Kenderax’s brood conquered Fangaroot. As the Dragon Hegemony continued, kobolds were the unquestionable servants of the dragons. They were entrusted with many duties and responsibilities. No business was conducted without the assistance of kobolds. For their part in this oppression, retaliation against kobolds from the Conclave races was swift once the Dragon War concluded. Kobolds were exiled and killed throughout Cimmerian civilization.

In modern Cimmeria, kobolds have passed from historical relevance. They exist on the fringes between the cities and the truly wild places of Cimmeria. Kobold raids against towns and villages are common, but they are easily beaten back, only to recur a few years or decades later. A persistent problem like roaches that are too numerous to truly eliminate.

Subraces

Kobolds bear some physical resemblance to the dragon lineage they are descended from. These differences are only cosmetic. Kobold variations in biology and culture are negligible. Thus, they do not have subraces as many of the other races of Cimmeria do.

Location

Kobolds can be found throughout Cimmeria harassing the fringes of civilization. They are particularly focused around Balin’s Holt and in the Aractrashan Jungle. The kobold occupation of Fangaroot led to many kobolds continuing to reside in the area, even centuries after their eviction from the city. In Aractrash kobolds are able to maintain a more consistent presence as they fill a natural niche within the jungle. While human residents tend to resist and dominate the jungle, kobolds have built settlements that fit perfectly within Aractrash’s ecosystem. High mortality from the dangers of the jungle threatens the Aractrashan kobolds. Fortunately, the death rate is balanced by instinctive kobold fecundity.

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I’m Isaac

Welcome to the GoCorral website! I’m Isaac Shaker and this is a place for me to write about D&D and occasionally other topics. I host a podcast called Setting the Stage that interviews different DMs about their campaigns. I’m currently focused on completing the Cimmeria campaign setting and turning it into a book.

Setting the Stage Podcast

76 – Flying Island Worlds (Alan and Fractus) Setting the Stage, Campaigns for D&D and Other RPGs

Alan tells us about his Daggerheart campaign setting, Fractus, that is launching on Kickstarter soon. Fractus was a normal planet until it exploded and stopped halfway through. Now bunches of asteroids rotate a swirling magical maelstorm at the center of the planet. The people of Fractus survive on the asteroids which are large enough to support life. The land is now separated by air rather than oceans, resulting in a different path for technology along the lines of flight rather than sea travel.Fractus is available on Kickstarter at: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/icv1/fractus-the-broken-worldAlan also has a big catalog of TTRPG products he's produced in the past that you can check out on DriveThruRPG: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/publisher/17830/alan-tuckerIn addition to his TTRPG writing, Alan has written a few novels that you can find links to on his website: http://www.alantucker.net/ For the latest updates on what Alan's doing you can follow him on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/tuckerauthor.bsky.socialOur website: https://gocorral.com/stsWant to be on the show? Fill out this survey: https://forms.gle/U11TbxtAReHFKbiVAJoin our Discord: https://discord.gg/Nngc2pQV6CSupport the show on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/SettingtheStage Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
  1. 76 – Flying Island Worlds (Alan and Fractus)
  2. 75 – Masks, Capitalism, and Coming of Age (Joel and Critical Bits)
  3. 74 – Kylie and Fallout: Garden of Atom
  4. 73 – Duncan and Extraordinary Locations
  5. 72.5 – Calico and Psychomortis (Part 2)